Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi has written to Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, seeking urgent intervention following the collapse of a section of the Gammon Bridge over the Dikhow river in Sivasagar district in the early hours of March 28.
The bridge, a critical link on National Highway 37 — described as the lifeline of Upper Assam — has been in service since 1963. No loss of lives was reported in the collapse.
Also Read: Assam: Traffic diverted on NH-37 following damage to Sivasagar bridge
The Congress leader did not frame the collapse as an accident. In both his letter to Gadkari and an X post, Gogoi alleged that the bridge had shown clear signs of structural distress well before it gave way — and that the system failed to act on those warnings in time.
"The collapse of the Gammon Bridge over the Dikhow river in Sivasagar has crippled NH-37, the lifeline of Upper Assam. What is indefensible is this: the bridge had already shown signs of structural distress. Warnings existed. Yet, the system failed to act in time," he wrote.
In his formal letter to Gadkari, Gogoi was more specific, noting that "structural fatigue and visible distress had reportedly been identified nearly a month ago, yet the preventive measures undertaken did not avert this collapse."
Gogoi used the collapse to mount a broader attack on Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, accusing his administration of prioritising optics over on-the-ground infrastructure maintenance.
"This is the reality of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's headline-driven governance — grand announcements, but neglect of basic infrastructure on the ground," he wrote on X.
"The people of Assam deserve better than governance that reacts after damage is done," he added.
In his letter, Gogoi urged the Union Ministry to take immediate and comprehensive steps on three fronts:
Swift restoration of connectivity on NH-37 for commuters and freight traffic in Upper Assam
Review of existing maintenance and monitoring mechanisms for ageing bridge infrastructure across the region
Stronger safeguards to ensure proactive assessment and timely intervention before such failures occur again
The Gammon Bridge's collapse is not an isolated concern for Gogoi. As far back as the Winter Session of Parliament in December 2025, he had flagged the poor quality of NH-37 between Jorhat and Dibrugarh on the floor of the House.
On that occasion, Union Minister Gadkari had assured him of action to improve the highway. The bridge collapse has now brought that assurance sharply back into focus.
The failure of a structure that has been serving the region for over six decades raises uncomfortable questions — not just about this particular bridge, but about the broader state of infrastructure maintenance on one of Assam's most critical national highway corridors.